The Oathsworn

by Liandra Jake

  He had gold enamel set into his armor. "Please sir, it's important." Noir said with urgency in her voice.

  "You have disgraced the Holy Guard. Do not speak."

  Arend' arm flashed. The Sereph's helmet fell off in a dozen pieces. "Move." Arend growled at the wide-eyed, black furred Sereph before him.

  He only trembled as Arend pushed him aside. Arend kicked the doors open with little effort. They walked forward through the split crowd. Iode and Rose were on their knees center stage. Rainbow chains of red, blue, yellow, orange, and silver were wrapped around them. One to pull the head to towards the floor, two to tie their hands, and the last to pull back their wings farther than they would normally extend them.

  Two executioners stood by with a pair of simple, sharp axes. "Stop." Nova said, more so to the guards than to Arend. He was dressed in long, flowing ceremonial robes. No doubt was in his ploy for revenge. The floor was nothing but black. "These two have broken a great taboo. While they may not be truly our kinsman, Rose is still of Sereph blood. The monstrosity beside her requested to be there. What will you do Pendragon?"

  Arend stared back at Nova, face expressionless, but the swirling Orenth around him told of his anger. "Do nothing." Iode whispered.

  All eyes were on him as he struggled against the chains and tossed Arend' ribbon as far as he could to Arend. "Arend, I didn't expect this to happen, but if I can be with Rose, I'd give much more than my wings. My freedom and every other future are worth giving up for her."

  Arend exhaled heavily. The chaos around him subsided. "You've put me in a tough spot. Fight a Sereph more than capable of killing me and all of you, or let this happen. I'm not one to stand by though." Arend glanced sideways to Nova. "I'm making a formal request to be the one to remove my Floxian friend's wings."

  The room looked to Nova for his reply. Arend' friends were filled with rage and disbelief. "You bastard!" Corenden exclaimed as he charged at Arend.

  Arend tossed Civen's sword to Corenden. Surprisingly, Corenden caught it. "Fight me if you want, it'll change nothing."

  Corenden gritted his teeth and spat at Arend' feet.

  "Very well." Nova said with a wave at one of the executioners. Arend took his position beside Iode. "Cut close to the base. You don't want to mangle him." Nova said with a sneer as he walked past.

  Nova stood behind the two and raised his hands, facing the crowd. He turned with his hands still raised, hoping to watch the bloody mess that was about to be carried out by his command. Arend and the executioner raised their weapons. Nova let a devilish grin spread across his face as he lowered his hands.

  Instead of the spray of blood he expected, all that happened was a grunt followed by a resounding gasp. Arend had caught the executioner's blade a good foot above Rose's wings with his hand. He twisted it and forced from the executioner's hands. He shattered it in his iron grip. Taking the Dragon Drive in two hands, Arend shattered each of the chains in effortless swings. The black tiles below Arend glowed a soft grey.

  "I know how important she must be to you if you'd give up your wings, but remember…" Iode raised his head to match Arend' gaze. "I'd shatter the edges of the sky, pulverize the earth to dust, boil the oceans, quench the fires of the earth, annihilate the moon, and scatter the sun throughout the heavens before I let a friend be hurt. Those who try to stop me have a fate worse than death." Arend turned to Nova. "My name is Arend Heartfeld Myshcell, and that is a promise."

  Arend helped Iode and Rose to their feet. "My debt is repaid, more so by leaving you and this place standing. You'll owe me for this Nova. Dragon's Den isn't a forgiving Guild when it comes to shit like this." Arend walked with Iode and Rose to Corenden and Michael.

  "Arend…" Nova growled. The floor flashed golden yellow. Before Arend could stop Nova's attack, Corenden did.

  The three foot ball of plasma aimed at Arend evaporated as Corenden cut through it. He floated at eye level, the sword Arend tossed him held tight in two hands. Nova was confused, as was everyone except Arend and Corenden.

  "How was he able to do that?" Michael asked.

  "It seems Arend knows how to stroke someone's ego." Corenden replied.

  Arend nodded. "There's no way in hell a punk like him could take me on."

  "How could the little fucker stop my attack though?" Nova growled.

  Corenden held out a hand. A ball of water formed in it. "Whether your power actually is Nova Orenth, or just Plasma Orenth, I can still beat you."

  Nova laughed. "Serephs are beings of the wind. I've got the entire sky on my side!"

  Nova sent a second ball of energy at Corenden, this time a swirling whirlwind. Corenden dissipated it once again with a simple sword slash. Nova was flabbergasted. The sword was covered in sharp wood, lengthening the blade a little.

  "This should prove interesting." Noir said.

  Nova laughed. "Are you seriously going to send your little freak to his death?" He asked Arend. Arend turned the Dragon Drive off. He sat down with it across his lap. Nova's smile vanished. "You offend me by sending something like that with serious intent." Corenden cut forward in a flash. Nova dodged Corenden's attack by diving. Nova's robes were shredded. He landed with a thud on his belly.

  He quickly got to his feet. He looked down at his ruined cloths. An angry look spread across his face. "Do you know how much money it took to get this made!?" He growled.

  Corenden didn't pause to reply. He flitted around Nova, his wings snapping open and closed to move him rapidly behind Nova. Nova had a brief look of shock on his face before Corenden flashed forward a second time in a gust of wind.

  Nova's top right wing was stripped of its feathers. All that was left was the frame they once hung from.

  He was no longer in control of himself. "YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING DIE!"

  He brought his hands back to charge an attack. Corenden still gave him no time. Corenden charged forward with a high speed head butt. Nova was knocked back onto his ass. Corenden took a quick breath before charging forward again. He brought his sword down in a spiraling dive, only damaging the tile work.

  Nova had retreated a large distance. His normally fiery temper was replaced by a great deal of fear. "Fucking monster…"

  The crowd of Serephs had retreated a great deal. They were afraid of what was going on.

  Arend let out a laugh. "You can't be serious! Do you think you're really that powerful because you can easily manipulate Orenth? Corenden here has only had a few days training from Night and Michael. What do you spend your days doing? Eating sweets and playing with women?"

  Nova didn't reply to Arend' taunts. The Serephs in the crowd glanced at each other. "He's not that powerful. I doubt he would have held his position like he had if he didn't lie about it." Arend continued, speaking to the crowd.

  Corenden gave Nova a final stare before turning away. "The only piece of trash here is you." Corenden said as he floated away.

  Arend stood up. He glanced over to Rose. "Meet us out front. We need to get our stuff." He nodded to Iode before heading for the sanctum doors. The crowd parted as they walked by. "Your futures are your own. How you live from here will be your responsibility." The rest of Arend' troupe followed. Flake and the other Serephs remained.

  "What do you think they'll do?" Michael asked.

  Arend glanced back, raising a hand in farewell. Flake raised his hesitantly in reply.

  "Think you can handle the trip down?" Arend asked Michael. "We don't have one of those platforms."

  Michael's face looked grim. "I can carry him as long as he doesn't have that backpack. I'll also be able to give him an easier ride if he's afraid." Rose suggested.

  Michael shrugged. "I just hope you're right about that. I don't want to throw up."

  Arend and Iode split off from the group to retrieve their luggage. "So Iode, what'd you do to get a girl like that?" Arend asked with a raised eyebrow and sly grin.

  Iode gave him a shove. "It's nothing like that."

  Arend tossed him the r
ibbon he had given Rose. "Keep good care of that. I wasn't lying back on the islands."

  They found their rooms easily. Iode carried the Dragon Drive for Arend, who Iode piled high with most of the luggage. "You know Arend; your strength can be quite intimidating sometimes." Iode said.

  Arend grunted. "Don't have to tell me. I sometimes worry about breaking something accidentally as my strength increases when I sleep."

  "So you've pinned that down?" Iode asked.

  "Yes. It also seems eating that Korvan and what I caught in the jungle also had an effect on it." Arend replied.

  "Meat for the muscle and Korvan for the Orenth eh?" Iode said with a laugh.

  "Pretty much." Arend laughed.

  "I wonder where it'll peak."

  "Who's to say? It may even stretch your lifespan past a human's average." Iode suggested.

  "I hope it doesn't." Arend replied.

  They regrouped with everyone else at the Rec. Tower's gateway. "Everyone ready?" Arend asked as he dumped his cargo. They all nodded. "Remember that we won't be returning here for anything you might have forgotten."

  "We know Arend." Rose said.

  "I think your friend has waited for long enough." Michael gave Arend his backpack.

  Arend strapped it down as Rose picked up Michael for a slow flight around the platform to get him used to her. "You know I'm not going to be able to carry you with all that right?" Corenden said as Arend was loaded up once again.

  Arend tossed Corenden's bags to him. "I can handle a descent by myself."

  They lined up at the edge of the platform. Michael refused to look down before they all jumped off. Since Arend had no actual wings, he fell the fastest. It was no were fast enough to cause him damage, but a normal human's legs would fracture on impact with the ground. Michael and Rose were the last ones to touch down on the rocky soil.

  "See? I told you it would be fine." Rose said as Michael balanced himself and retrieved his backpack.

  The rest of the luggage was spread out amongst them, with Rose getting the lightest load. Arend found the Dragon Drive a bit cumbersome to carry without a proper sheath. He ended up propping it up against his shoulder while he walked. Iode stayed away to avoid getting hit in the head when Arend would turn.

  They took a final look at the Sereph's fortress atop a short hill as it disappeared into the clouds. "So," Corenden started. "Arend Heartfeld Myshcell?"

  Arend waved a hand. "It's my mother's maiden name. I don't remember what my real middle name is."

  "It's not like that one sounds bad." Rose said. "I think it suits you quite well."

  They hiked for well over an hour as the rocky ground below limited their speed. Their goal was well within sight. Towering mountains that poked almost through the clouds. A ramshackle building was built on one of the final hills before the sheer cliffs of the mountains blocked any kind of efficient way up. Arend gave them a simple battle plan as they piled their luggage a few dozen yards from the front door.

  Arend marched forward for a head on assault. He splintered the doors with an overpowered kick. The Dragon Hunters were in no way dull enough not to notice the loud ripping sound he created as his kick ripped the hinges of the door off. Corenden and Michael were positioned to either side of Arend.

  "Who are you?!" A man in cheap scale armor demanded.

  The brick wall to their left collapsed inwards as Iode broke through, fist covered in red dust. "Richard Griffin. Where is he?" Arend asked as he raised the Dragon Drive to the man.

  "Right here." Someone said as they came down from the second floor. Richard rolled down the stairs, bruised and bleeding, but unbroken.

  Rose peeked around the corner beside Michael. "Now?" She asked.

  Michael nodded. The room paused as Rose hurried across the room. They watched the pink Sereph scurry to Richard, bring him to his feet, and scurry back out the door with him in tow. Richard was equally shocked. Arend pulled out the Dragon Hunter's medallion and held it up.

  "This yours?" He asked.

  The armored man raised his hand slightly. Arend kicked him through the back wall. "Anyone else besides them in here?" Corenden asked Richard.

  He shook his head. Iode charged through the remaining wall. Arend' group flipped around and sprinted. "Run Run Run Run Run!" Arend yelled as they ran back through the broken doors. The entire building shuddered briefly before collapsing.

  "Did we kill them?" Rose asked.

  "The roof was rotted and half collapsed anyway; they'll be fine." Iode replied.

  "The buggy's round back. They built a bridge across the parallel canyons south of here. The tank's full. We need to go after the group that went into Dragon Valley." Richard said. "They had a small girl with them."

  "Load up the buggy. Rose, take care of Richard's wounds." Arend ordered as he shouldered his bags.

  The group moved quickly. The buggy was unharmed by the collapsed building. "So, Rose is it? Why is a Sereph hanging out with these chumps?" Richard asked as Rose cleaned him up with alcohol.

  "Because one of those chumps is mine." Rose said with a smile.

  Richard raised an eyebrow. "Not the midget."

  "No, no! It's Iode." Rose said with a laugh.

  "How did you meet? They didn't drag you away from something did they?" Richard asked.

  "No. They showed up on the fortress I lived on. One thing led to another and they ended up staying for a while. Things were ended abruptly and bloodily a little while ago. I'm excited to see just how this world works." Rose said. Rose finished her check up and let Richard go without bandages.

  They piled into the buggy. Corenden and Arend sat up top to give the others room. Michael took the wheel, heading towards the pass the Dragon Hunters had blasted through the mountain. "If we plan on keeping this to the next city, we need to conserve gas. I'm not braking unless I have to." Michael warned.

  "I see you've got a new blade!" Richard called up to Arend.

  "Yeah, and I've got quite a few new surprised as well!" Arend called back.

  "I've learned how to manipulate Wood and Water Orenth." Corenden said as he tossed a ball of water to Richard.

  He caught it, freezing it instantly. "Not bad. More than I expected in the days since I was kidnapped." Richard replied.

  "I think you've gone soft." Arend said. "If you're supposed to be so powerful, how come you couldn't stop them?"

  Richard bounced the ball of ice off Arend' head. "I worked with a team. I also have been living off reward and fame for the past six years. Don't expect so much."

  "I wasn't." Arend replied.

  The buggy lurched over a large rock. "Jeese Michael! Give us a little warning." Richard said as he repositioned himself.

  They passed through the mountains rather effortlessly. A giant stretch of rock had been blasted out, allowing the buggy to pass thorough with a foot clearance to either side.

  "Tenacious as ever." Arend said as they immediately left the pass for a straight cut through a small forest.

  "Stop here." Richard said suddenly.

  Michael stopped a few feet from the end of the tree line. The rolling trees before them were covered in emerald grass that shifted with the wind. An extremely large tree extended out from the center of the valley. Its crown spread out over most of the area. Thin, scale-like leaves caught some of the sunlight, but most of it made it to the ground.

  Arend breathed in deeply. "The air is fresh here."

  A soft rumble came from the tree. Abandoning the buggy, Arend and Iode carried most of their luggage.

  "Why are we bringing everything?" Rose asked.

  "Don't want it to be stolen." Arend replied. They traversed quickly across the valley, a new energy filling everyone.

  A man sprinted past them. A few others followed close behind. The group hurried to the top on the next hill. A large valley separated the hill they stood on and the large one the tree grew on. What was there made even Arend gawk. A bout a hundred feet long, with a head large enough to eat Iod
e whole, was a red and yellow dragon.

  Red lines crossed the middle of each yellow scale, giving it a striped appearance. As silly as it might of looked, it was still a mother-fucking dragon; the cause for the end of the Great Wars. A small girl about thirteen years old was standing beside it, pulling metal spikes from its head.

  "Holy fucking shit." Rose cursed. Iode found Rose's cursing more surprising than the dragon and glanced towards her briefly.

  The girl paused and the dragon looked towards them. Arend was paralyzed, dropping all of the bags he was carrying. Corenden tried to nudge him forward. "Go on, you've got the most balls out of all of us."